RESOURCES


If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the BRIDGES staff to resources@ictsd.ch . Submissions of publications to ICTSD’s documentation centre would also be welcomed (see mailing address below).

INVESTMENT AND COMPETITION NEGOTIATIONS IN THE WTO - WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT AND WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? October 2002. Prepared by the Seattle to Brussels Network. Led by the European Union, a number of governments are aggressively aiming to launch investment and competition negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). According to the authors, new investment and competition agreements would increase the power of the WTO by extending its remit to many economic, social and environmental decisions. Governments will have to arrive at a decision on launching such investment and competition negotiations when they convene in Cancun, Mexico for the next WTO Ministerial in September 2003. Individual groups of the Seattle to Brussels Network have contributed to this booklet to alert civil society, the general public and parliamentarians about the developmental, environmental, labour and gender implications of future talks on investment and competition in the WTO and about alternatives to trade and investment liberalisation. To obtain a copy of this booklet, visit http://www.s2bnetwork.org .

ECOLOGICAL RULES & SUSTAINABILITY IN THE AMERICAS. October 2002. By the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Preliminary working papers from this project were released in the 2001 Hemispheric Trade and Sustainability Symposium in Quebec City, Canada, as part of the Quebec City Summit of the Americas, and in other fora. They are available, with other IISD Americas Portfolio publications, at http://www.iisd.org . The project was possible through support from the government of Canada (especially DFAIT, CIDA and Environment Canada), the USAID, the AVINA Foundation and the International Development Research Centre. To obtain a copy of this publication, visit http://www.iisd.org or http://www.amazon.com .

Electronic Resources

GOVERNANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: OUTCOMES FROM JOHANNESBURG. Governance and sustainable development are intimately tied together. The future role and architecture of institutions, from local to international levels, will be crucial determinants of whether future policy and programmes for sustainable development will succeed. The following and forthcoming papers and resources on this web page outline a range of viewpoints on: Current problems with institutional architecture; Options for alternative frameworks; Recommendations for future debate. Based on a presentation given at “Global Governance 2002: Civil Society and the Democratisation of Global Governance” conference, Montreal, Canada, 13th and 16th October 2002. To view website, visit http://www.earthsummit2002.org/es/issues/Governance/governance.htm .

NAFTA: A CAUTIONARY TALE. 24 October 2002. By Timothy Wise and Kevin Gallagher. At the end of the month, trade ministers from throughout the Western Hemisphere will gather in Quito, Ecuador for negotiations on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Many FTAA proponents, including the Bush Administration, herald the trade accord as a NAFTA for the hemisphere. Early drafts suggest that the proposed treaty is modelled closely on NAFTA. Less clear is why the Bush Administration believes NAFTA’s spotty track record will help sell the FTAA to wary Latin American governments. To view this article, visit http://www.americaspolicy.org/commentary/2002/0210ftaa.html .

WTO

These recently released WTO documents of note from a sustainable development perspective are available on the WTO website at: To obtain a copy of this paper, visit http://docsonline.wto.org/ .

Development

TRADE AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC SIZE? (WT/COMTD/SE/W/5). 23 October. Committee on Trade and Development, Dedicated Session. Note by the Secretariat. Paper discusses the role of transport costs and economies of scale as determinants of small economies competitiveness.

WTO PROVISIONS POTENTIALLY OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO SMALL ECONOMIES (WT/COMTD/SE/W/6). 23 October. Committee on Trade and Development, Dedicated Session. Note by the Secretariat. The note is an attempt to distinguish provisions in the Uruguay Round Agreements and documents emerging from WTO Ministerial Conferences that could possibly be of particular relevance to small economies, in the broadest sense.

MARRAKESH NET FOOD-IMPORTING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (”NFIDC”) DECISION - TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF AID PROGRAMMES TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE (G/AG/W/57). 23 October. Committee on Agriculture. Responses from International Development Organisations and Regional Development Banks.

TRIPs-CBD

REVIEW OF THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE 27.3(B), RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TRIPS AGREEMENT AND THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND PROTECTION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND FOLKLORE (IP/C/W/347/ADD.4). 21 October. Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Information from Intergovernmental Organizations. The document reproduces the information that the Secretariat has received from the World Bank.

Market Access

MARKET ACCESS FOR NON-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS (TN/MA/W/10). 22 October. Negotiating Group on Market Access. Submission by India. Paper addresses Paragraph 16 of the Doha Declaration and carrying forward the mandate of this portion of the declaration concerning the reduction and/or elimination of tariffs in the area of non-agricultural products with special circumstances being given to developing countries.

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR FOOD STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS (G/SPS/GEN/344). 21 October. Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. A report by the Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission based on information provided by FAO and WHO. Paper addresses issues that prevent developing countries from meeting international standards for food, animal, and plant safety. Then presents different ways in which this problem is being taken care of so that these countries may trade more equally on the world market with developed countries in these areas.

Geographical Indications

PROPOSAL FOR A MULTILATERAL SYSTEM FOR NOTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS FOR WINES AND SPIRITS BASED ON ARTICLE 23.4 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT (TN/IP/W/5). 23 October. Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Special Session. Communication from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Chinese Taipei, and the United States.

Antidumping

COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES (TN/RL/W/27). 22 October. Negotiating Group on Rules. Basic Concepts and Principles of the Trade Remedy [Antidumping] Rules. Communication addresses the idea that the Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Subsidies Agreement form an important part of the rules-based international trading system.